With all eyes on him, Daniel Henderson limped up to a podium in San Bernardino Superior Court to finally address the man accused of shooting him three times, permanently disabling him.

On Friday, the 39-year-old man - who now relies on the assistance of a cane and has his wrist wrapped in a brace - unfolded a hand-written letter and started reading a statement he had penned the night before.

First, Henderson thanked Jehovah for the privilege to continue living. Then he thanked law enforcement, the judge, Deputy District Attorney Denise Yoakum and jurors for seeking and serving justice.

Then he addressed his convicted attacker, Cedric Williams.

"I pray that your sentence serves the same bitter taste of immobility and pain that awaits for me the rest of my days," Henderson said.

As part of the legal process, Henderson was given a chance to deliver his statements before a judge decided what kind of sentence the defendant would receive.

"We're glad that victims like Daniel Henderson come forward," Yoakum said after the hearing, adding that without them, officials couldn't investigate gangs as well.

Williams, a 31-year-old Compton gang member, was sentenced to nine years in state prison for attempted murder on Henderson, plus 25 years to life for a gun charge.

"He got what he deserved," Henderson said after the hearing, adding that he was happy about the outcome.

"This whole thing woke me up," he continued. "I lost a lot, don't get me wrong, but I gained a lot too."

On Dec. 23, 2010, Henderson got off work and went to his Highland home. After talking with his wife, he walked to a nearby store to pick up a few items.

On his way back, he passed a man standing in a field. That man started to follow and when Henderson turned around he noticed the man holding his hand near his waistline.

"He said, `You lookin' at me like you know me,"' Henderson recalled.

Henderson said he recognized Williams and had seen him around the neighborhood but did not personally know him.

Williams then called out the name of his street gang - Spook Town Crips.

Henderson, who is not a gang member, turned around and started walking. That's when Williams opened fire, authorities said, and Henderson heard shot after shot after shot

Five shots were fired. Henderson was struck three times.

One bullet damaged the nerves in his right arm. Another shattered the femur in his left leg. The third shattered his pelvis.

"My life has been changed forever," said Henderson, who now has a metal rod in his leg. "I will never do 95 percent of the activities that I loved. I have children that I can't run with anymore."

The trial started Sept. 27. Two and a half weeks later, the jury came back with a guilty verdict.

Williams denied the charges and plans to appeal the verdict.

Initially, after he was shot, Henderson said he did not want to identify Williams. It took him a month to report the attack to police.

"I have a wife and three kids; I feared for them," he said.

But Henderson eventually worked up the nerve to get involved. And for that he is happy.

"The way he did it to me ... it was like, `You've done that to other people and you're going to do that again,"' he said.

Before the shooting, Henderson said he questioned the justice system and its procedures. But since he has been thrust into the heart of it, Henderson is now a firm believer.